Norwegian Breakaway Review
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Forgive me for misspellings and jumbled words. My fingers often go faster than my brain thinks...
I have done 9 cruises since 2008 from the Caribbean to Alaska. I usually sail NCL but I have tried a few others. I usually travel with my significant other, Susan. I'm 62 and she is 58. The idea of a cabin for one was intriguing to us (she says I snore) and it was on a new ship, the Breakaway, out of NYC. What could be better than that. We sailed on the Bermuda trip from May 18 to May 25 2014. The studio cabins are supposed to be priced just a bit less than 200% of a standard cabin. This can be pricey, but still somewhat of a savings. But Susan did her homework and watched this cruise for weeks and when we booked just 10 days prior, the two studio cabins combined was less than the price of the two of us sharing an inside cabin. Susan tried to call NCL at 6:30 am but they don't open until 8 am. Not wanting to lose the cabins, she called Vacations to go and booked the reservations before 7 am. She was also able to call me and ask if it was okay, and then called VTG back and made minor adjustments. We always buy travel insurance but NCL is too expensive. We go to Insuremytrip,com and get reasonably priced insurance from them.
DAY 1 Both Sue and I live in Queens NY. We had a friend drive us to the pier. A little known fact about the pier...the vehicle entrance is on 55th Street and 12th Ave where you can drive up and drop your bags. But if you are walking (or take the subway to 50th Street (E train), the pedestrian entrance is on 48th Street and 12th Ave. This is also where you get picked up if you don't have NCL arranged travel. We arrived about 1 pm after being stuck in Manhattan traffic...yes even on a Sunday. Streets were closed because of a street fair. There are two lines at check in. We dropped our bags with the stevedores and then made our way inside. There is a security line --similar to office buildings but not as rigid as the airport. Clear your pockets and you are pretty much good to go. The registration lines are inside. They can be long. We found out later that the Breakaway is so big that they treat it as two ships. You are checked in based on the deck of your stateroom..we were near the front of the pier, others went towards the back. We used Latitudes member check in and were one within 10 minutes. WE headed for the ship and passed up the 'photo opportunity' that always greets you when you arrive. Since we were sure oyr bags had not yet arrived nor sure if the room was ready, we decided to do some exploring and then have lunch. At first we were overwhelmed with the size of the Breakaway. All those people!! The elevators were jammed and there were lines all over. But after you were no longer 'lost' the lines disappeared and you never knew you were on a really really big ship. We stopped by the Savor for lunch--one of the two 'smaller' dining rooms on Deck 6. It was noisy and we felt rushed. this was a comment that was sent to Jovo--the ever present hotel manager who welcomed comments. They needed the dining room for a muster drill two hours later and were trying to get lunch eaters out quickly.
Cabin Review
I'm 62 and she's 58. The idea of a cabin for one was intriguing to us (she says I snore) and it was on a new ship, the Breakaway, out of NYC. What could be better than that? We sailed on the Bermuda trip from May 18 to May 25 2014. The studio cabins are supposed to be priced just a bit less than 200% of a standard cabin. This can be pricey, but still somewhat of a savings. But Susan did her homework and watched this cruise for weeks and when we booked just 10 days prior, the two studio cabins combined was less than the price of the two of us sharing an inside cabin. Susan tried to call NCL at 6:30 am but they don't open until 8 am. Not wanting to lose the cabins, she called Vacations to go and booked the reservations before 7 am. She was also able to call me and ask if it was okay, and then called VTG back and made minor adjustments. We always buy travel insurance but NCL is too expensive. We go to Insuremytrip,com and get reasonably priced insurance from them.Sue and I are seasoned cruise passengers. Because we booked so late, we could not get adjoining rooms. I was in 11555 and Sue was in 11543. We were maybe 4 doors away from each other. As it happened, her room and mine were mirror images of each other. The room is cozy..about 100 square feet. It has a queen size bed and a few throw pillows and regular pillows. There is a night light/shelf above the bed. There is about a two foot wide aisle and then you have the storage. two full length closets with plenty of hangers. There were also a few shelves towards the bottom. One of the closets contained the ubiquitous safe. Between the closets was a small desk with a good sized flat screen TV above it. There was also a sink and then another rack of cubby shelves. Plenty of outlets. The other side of the bed features a wall to the corridor...but with a large circular window that is frosted glass with blinds and shutters. I stood outside Sue's room and tapped on the window. She could see shadows but nothing else. Looking in to the cabin, you see nothing. It gave some light at night if you didn't want a totally dark cabin. But I bring a small night light anyway. The toilet is in its own closet. there is also a stand alone tube shower that is frosted. There is no bar soap. The soap provided is liquid in a dispenser in the shower stall and the sink. There is a door to a connecting room between the shower and the toilet closet. It was locked. Lastly, the Breakaway has an energy saving gadget. You have to put your room key in the slot to get electric in the room. Its also good for people who forget where they left the card. I was trying to charge my camera battery when i was out of the room. No good. No electric. Could only do at night. The room does not have a refrigerator or a clock. Otherwise, we loved the room. Best thing in cruising yet--5 stars for it. To get into the Studio suite, you need a key card from the main corridor. There are 50 studios divided between decks 10 and 11. As a studio guest, you also have access to the studio lounge...a 2 story sitting space with chairs and tables and board games. There is a bar that is occasionally manned (we don't drink so we didn't care) There is also coffee and tea and orange juice available all day along with cookies or pound cake. There is also fruit. There is a wine vending machine (they are all over the ship) and a regular vending machine with bottled water and Gatorade. I wish they had juice or soda. I;'m too old for Gatorade. Jovan, a member of the cruise staff holds solo parties in the lounge and meet and mingles for all solo travelers, not just studio guests. When you stop by the lounge, there is usually someone there. Ages went from 20's to travelers probably in their 70's or more. Very eclectic mix.